When the U.S. bombed Panama in 1989, HRW prefaced its report by saying that
the ouster of Manuel Noriega...and installation of the
democratically-elected government of President Guillermo Endara brought high
hopes in Panama...The report neglected to mention the number of casualties.
Panama
The Southern Command, USA,
thought they were at war with Panama,
sent 26,000 death givers into this country
that threatened to invade New England,
Montana - Hollywood - Palm Beach
and the golf course at Pebble Beach,
CIA and naval intelligence indicated
Panama was filled with Hi Tech guitars
ready to replace,
oh say can you see
with cantos de la gente,
while Bush was growing wild in his endeavor
to protect thousands of U.S. citizens,
their imperialistic lifestyle,
and as a fringe benefit,
an opportunity to eliminate
the effects of the Canal Treaty
and the right of Panama to reclaim its own land.
27 targets,
was the target
of 12/19/89 midnight attack
on los barrios,
las familias,
el corazon de la gente, el pueblo Panama,
helicopters hovered like spiders
over dreaming ninos,
restless abuelitos,
their flaming tongues spit desolation,
elimination,
across los jardins bronce de la Ciudad Panama,
there was no distinction
between military target and school,
church - home,
ninos - madres - padres - abuelitos - tios -
tias - sobrinos - sobrinas - esposas - esposos -
compadres - comadres - amigos - amigas -
hijos - hijas - abuelitas -
between hate and love,
the programed minds of robot pilots
were unable to connect the humanity of Panama
to the blood of their own birth.
El cielo was red,
como sangre,
spotlight on this new testing ground
for u.s. weapons,
the dead and wounded were proof of success
that spread across the media
like a field of locusts,
stripping flowers from the soul,
leaving bare bones of hypocrisy
to bleach in the sun,
this is the theft of Panama,
Teddy Roosevelt said,
I took it...
Bush said,
I'm taking it...
the marine said,
we neutralized it...
as in murdered,
as in executed,
as in disappeared,
they said, the 1961 killing
of 21 flag waving Panamanian students
should have taught them a lesson.
U.S. special forces - Delta Force,
sent to Panama - block roads,
disrespect people - create incident,
they follow the often used script,
with a new title,
Operation Just Cause,
sent their production into civilian areas,
deliberately attacked,
destroyed targets, women and children,
everything that moved was the enemy,
fair game in this unfair war game,
that was no game,
houses were burned,
people imprisoned,
detention for their own safety...,
too late for those run over by tanks,
pierced by guided missiles,
disintegrated by some top secret hand,
experimental dance of arrogance
and continued conquest.
Newspapers were blank pages,
La Republica raided and destroyed,
journalists arrested, minds censored,
photos exposed to the gods of invisibility,
videos lay like dead snakes,
executed by anti-historians,
who were the writers of myth,
blanket weavers,
intent on covering their crimes,
Rodriquez lay dead in the street,
he passed military defense,
which was an offense,
that gave them pretense,
to make him past tense,
Rodriquez lay dead in the street,
his last story
waiting to be typeset.
18,000 were put in detention,
for chained retention,
control concentration,
terror acceleration,
to inhibit retribution,
they said for protection,
that would bring u.s. absolution,
for the emulation
of the Panama nation,
mothers pleading for release,
to search for small children,
daughters crying
their elders were alone,
ill and dependent on them,
men torn from familia,
straining to break free,
to find the mirrors of their eyes,
18,000 welded together
by flame of democracy,
burning mockery,
a blaze of deceit
that devoured without shame,
without repentance.
Bulldozers pushed death beneath earth,
a movement of tangled bones
into raging sea,
hid relatives from searching families,
there was denial the disappeared
had disappeared,
no explanation
for empty spaces they left behind,
voices became shadows,
wingless birds of entombed eyes,
those in limbo,
wandered burned out spaces
El Chorio, San Migelito, Colon,
their hands tied
